C172 pilot experiences invalid cloud cover information received through xm/WX displayed on a garmin ...

Attributes
ACN	965282
Time
Date	201107
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	JKL.Airport
State Reference	KY
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Cruise
Route In Use	Direct
Flight Plan	None
Component
Aircraft Component	Safety Instrumentation & Information
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Rotorcraft Flight Crew Private
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 65 Flight Crew Total 3000 Flight Crew Type 2000
Events
Anomaly	Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence

Narrative:

Using xm/WX satellite weather (aviator) on a garmin 496 in cockpit. The 'satellite mosaic' screen has reliably depicted cloud cover of anything that would be reported as a ceiling. Scattered layer turned to broken then to solid undercast. Over the course of multiple updates (30 minutes) it showed no cloud cover within 50 NM. Local AWOS/ASOS were reporting 1;000-1;500 ceilings. Descended through a hole in thick cloud deck and landed at jkl and reviewed weather data at NWS station on field. [I] continued VMC under deck to destination. Anomalous condition has not occurred since.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 pilot experiences invalid cloud cover information received through XM/WX displayed on a Garmin 496. No cloud cover was displayed while solid under cast existed.

Narrative: Using XM/WX satellite weather (Aviator) on a Garmin 496 in cockpit. The 'Satellite Mosaic' screen has reliably depicted cloud cover of anything that would be reported as a ceiling. Scattered layer turned to broken then to solid undercast. Over the course of multiple updates (30 minutes) it showed no cloud cover within 50 NM. Local AWOS/ASOS were reporting 1;000-1;500 ceilings. Descended through a hole in thick cloud deck and landed at JKL and reviewed weather data at NWS station on field. [I] continued VMC under deck to destination. Anomalous condition has not occurred since.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

C172 pilot experiences invalid cloud cover information received through xm/WX displayed on a garmin 496. No cloud cover was displayed while solid under cast existed.